Lisbon, Jan. 4, 2021 (Lusa) - Prime Minister António Costa and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have on Monday set themselves the priority objective of "maintaining a high rate" of vaccination against Covid-19 in all the Member States of the European Union.

"Excellent meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel to pass on testimony between European Union presidencies", wrote António Costa on his personal Twitter social network account".

The Portuguese Presidency of the EU, which will last until June, follows the six-month German Presidency, ending on 31 December 2020.

On this meeting "of passing of the baton" between the heads of the Portuguese and German governments, which was held by videoconference, António Costa wrote that there was agreement on "the importance of maintaining a high rate of vaccination and of putting the instruments for economic and social recovery on the ground".

On Tuesday, António Costa receives the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, for a working meeting.

The programme of Charles Michel's visit, which was announced today, includes a working meeting with the Portuguese Prime Minister, attended by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ana Paula Zacarias, which is scheduled for 15:30 at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon.

A brief visit to the Jerónimos Monastery, where the Treaty of Accession of Portugal to the European Economic Community (now the European Union) was signed in 1985, is also planned.

The visit of the President of the European Council is the first official meeting of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

Portugal took over its fourth Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January, which will run for the first half of 2021, succeeding Germany and preceding Slovenia, under the slogan "Time to act: for a fair, green and digital recovery".

PMF/AYLS // AYLS

Lusa